End of the Sermon

Even in the Primordial World, power was a good thing.

With power, one could claim the moral high ground when facing fellow disciples, standing at the pinnacle of righteousness to suppress them. The rules of a sect always safeguarded the interests of those who wielded them, not those bound by them.

Yuanshi Tianzun's words made it clear that he was ready to delegate authority to Meng Chen, grooming him as the next leader of the Chan Sect. For Meng Chen, this was an immense stroke of luck.

The identity of the Son of the Azure Dragon was no ordinary thing, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Primordial Calamity Sage caught him and turned him into a mount. Kong Xuan, the Son of the Primordial Phoenix, had ended up as a mount after all.

The position of Chan Sect leader was different.

Once Meng Chen became the Chan Sect leader, even a Sage would have to think thrice before killing him. The Chan Sect leader was the face of Xuanmen; seizing him as a mount would not only mean an irreconcilable feud with Yuanshi Tianzun but also slap Hongjun Daozu in the face.

Surely, even the Primordial Calamity Sage couldn't bear a pot that big.

Faced with Yuanshi Tianzun's elevation, Meng Chen dared not show the slightest arrogance. He bowed to Yuanshi Tianzun: "This disciple is willing to share the teacher's burdens."

After the bow, he sat upright again, listening to Yuanshi Tianzun's sermon. With a Sage offering guidance, he was in no hurry to take his leave. At worst, he would split his focus—consolidating his cultivation while listening to the Dao.

For a Golden Immortal, this was no challenge at all.

For a Golden Immortal, splitting his mind a thousand ways, ten thousand ways, or even transforming into the myriad lives of a Small Chiliocosm was nothing more than a splash of water.

Seeing that Meng Chen hadn't withdrawn but continued to listen to his sermon, a faint smile curled at the corner of Yuanshi Tianzun's lips.

He was a Sage, with his own responsibilities.

Ordering the laws of heaven and earth, slaying Extraterrestrial Demons approaching the Primordial World, teaching all beings, suppressing the Calamity Fate of the Primordial World...

He bore far too many burdens to remain in the Jade Void Palace forever, instructing disciples. So for these disciples, every sermon he gave was a rare opportunity.

As the Three Pure Ones' sermons progressed, a second person among the three sects finally broke through in cultivation. The second wasn't Guang Chengzi, but Daoist Duobao of the Intercepting Teaching.

Setting aside Daoist Ran Deng, that old eagle-nosed one who liked to hide his talent, Daoist Duobao was undoubtedly the standout among the Sage's disciples. Besides, Daoist Duobao had even pushed Ran Deng off the seat of the Buddha Ancestor.

Even if Daoist Duobao had only broken through a minor realm, entering the second step of Golden Immortal, it was still a breakthrough.

Master Tongtian watched Daoist Duobao, who had successfully opened a Small Chiliocosm, and a surge of pride swelled in his heart.

The Disciples of Intercepting Teaching were second to none!

Daoist Duobao did not disappoint Master Tongtian's praise. After his breakthrough, he quickly composed himself and continued listening to the sermon.

Not long after Daoist Duobao's breakthrough, signs of advancement stirred simultaneously in the Jade Void Palace and Biyou Palace. Guang Chengzi and Our Lady of Wudang, without distinction of order, both ascended to the second step of Golden Immortal.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian were both thoroughly satisfied.

Xuanmen truly had successors. Though these disciples were still weak now, one day they would grow into the pillars of Xuanmen.

Sage Laozi paused his alchemy and gazed into the depths of the Primordial World.

A Heavenly Immortal of the Innate Human Clan was speeding toward Kunlun Mountain on a cloud of light. Though the path was fraught with obstacles, he never gave up.

The Human Clan was created by Sage Nuwa with her own essence blood. Bearing the Sage's bloodline, they were born as immortals.

The three thousand humans personally crafted by Sage Nuwa each possessed Golden Immortal cultivation. Even those born from the gourd vine's creation had immortal bodies.

Yet in the Primordial World, whose size could not be measured even in light-years, a Heavenly Immortal was pitifully insignificant. Grand Master Xuandu's speed of three thousand trillion miles per day was barely faster than a crane's.

Grand Master Xuandu had been flying from the Human Clan's lands for thirty thousand years. But the distance to Kunlun Mountain remained incalculable.

Sage Laozi naturally knew that Grand Master Xuandu could never fly to Kunlun Mountain—not even if he flew until the end of time. He was merely testing Grand Master Xuandu's resolve.

As long as Grand Master Xuandu passed his trial, wherever his heart yearned would be Kunlun.

"Enter the sect, my disciple!"

Sage Laozi bestowed a blessing upon this human from afar, then returned to his alchemy.

Grand Master Xuandu's entry was not so easily won.

The sole disciple of Sage Laozi would be the next leader of the Teaching of Humanity, a position not casually granted.

Time flowed like a river, years like a shuttle. A hundred and eight thousand years passed in a blink.

The two Sages ended their sermons, and the many Sage disciples withdrew from their cultivation states.

Under the Sages' guidance, all the disciples had made great progress in cultivation. Though not everyone had broken through, each had gained abundantly, their strength greatly increased.

The most conspicuous was naturally Meng Chen, who had surged all the way to Peak Golden Immortal, his power multiplied by over a hundred times.

Such a transformation naturally drew attention.

Guang Chengzi, Chijingzi, and Manjusri, Heavenly Lord of Broad Law, had also broken through, but compared to Meng Chen, they were nothing.

Looking at Meng Chen, whose strength was now unfathomable, the pride they had felt from becoming a Sage's disciple and breaking through instantly vanished.

Their cultivation still had a long way to go!

In a hundred and eight thousand years, Meng Chen had fully consolidated his cultivation, and he had also grasped the key to entering the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm.

Primordial Unity Golden Immortal is a process of breaking through from the finite to the infinite. In this process, one must first accumulate mana.

The power of the River of Fate is no joke. Without sufficient mana, one simply cannot guide the other selves and merge all other selves into the original self.

Thus, to break through to Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, one must elevate their mastery in the Law of Time, Law of Space, and Law of Destiny. Then, combine these three laws with one's essence, energy, and spirit to cultivate the Three Flowers, reaching the realm of Three Flowers Gathering Atop.

Only the power of Three Flowers Gathering Atop can fix one's Spacetime Anchor Point at a certain moment in time. And only when the time anchor point has a fixed moment can one converge the timeline.

Meng Chen was not in a hurry. The realm of Primordial Unity Golden Immortal was not so easily broken through.

At this moment, Yuanshi Tianzun spoke: "Now that you have entered the sect, you shall establish Daoist Temples within Kunlun Mountain. The Kunlun Sacred Realm is filled with places where Dao charm converges. You may choose your own locations for building your Daoist Temples."

"However, your Third Martial Uncle has also accepted disciples, and they too will establish Daoist Temples on Kunlun Mountain. When you build your temples, do not come into conflict with your Third Martial Uncle's disciples, lest you damage the bond between fellow disciples."

During this period, the relationship between Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian was quite good. Yuanshi Tianzun, loving the house and its crow, did not detest Master Tongtian's disciples either.

Thus, he was willing to admonish his own disciples, telling them to coexist peacefully with the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching.